Barn-door latch



w. A. GRAYBEAL.

BARN DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I3, WW.

1 ,364:,749. Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

WINFIELD A. GBAYBEAL, 0F LANSING, NORTH CAROLINA.

BARN-noon LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Application filed June 13, 1919. Serial No. 303,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'INFIELD A. GRAY- BEAL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Lansing, in the county of Ashe and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Barn-Door Latches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a latch suitable for use as alocking means particularly for swinging barn doors and the like, but equally adapted for use in connection with the doors and closures of other out-buildings whether of the swinging or the sliding type, and for gates and the equivalent thereof, the purpose being to provide the latch primarily with means which will prevent the accidental disengagement thereof, with the attendant release of the door or other closure, and will efiectually dispose of the risk of such disengagement by stock or the wind, and which moreover shall have means whereby it may be utilized in connection, for example, with a padlock to form a permanent lock to prevent surreptitious access to the building or inclosure.

With these and related objects in view the invention consists in a construction, combination and relation of parts hereinafter described, it being understood that changes in form and proportion may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the principles involved.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a latch applied in the operative position to a barn oor.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Within a suitable guiding casing 10 which may be provided with a base plate 11 for attachment by screws or bolts 12 to the closure indicated at 13, is mounted a bolt 14 adapted to slide in a direction perpendicular to the joint between said closure and the jamb or casing indicated at 15 for engagement when projected with a keeper or staple 16 secured to the casing as by means of a base plate 17. Preferably the latch bolt is held in the guide by making the two cross sectionally wedge shaped, as shown in Fig.

3, and the bolt has a range of sliding movement suflicient to enable it when extended to project terminally beyond the plane of the keeper or staple and terminally it is provided with an opening 18 with which may be engaged the hasp 19 of a padlock 20, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 or the equivalent thereof.

The casing 10 forming the guide for the sliding latch bolt is slotted as at 21 to permit of the movement of a looped pole handle 22 to serve as a grip for the convenient opening and closing movement of the door and mounted in a transverse opening 23 in the latch bolt is a retaining pin 24 connected with an actuating spring 25 secured as at 26 to the bolt and having a finger hold 27 for engagement by the finger of a hand grasping the handle 22. The terminal of the retaining pin is adapted for engagement with a socket 28 in the bottom of the casing form ing the guide for the bolt when said bolt is in its extended position, so as to retain the latter in the adjusted position against the accidental displacement or movement by cattle or the wind while for a permanent looking of the door means such as described, may be engaged with the terminal of the bolt to prevent the withdrawal thereof from engagement with the keeper or staple 16.

When the retaining pin has been disengaged to permit of the backward sliding movement of the bolt its extremity, bearing upon the rear wall or bottom of the bolt guide 21 will serve to frictionally hold the bolt in its retracted position and hence prevent the slamming of the door or causing unintended engagement of the bolt with the keeper whereas the extension of the bolt into engagement with the keeper will be accompanied by the automatic projection of the pin into engagement with its socket to insure the retention in the extended position of the bolt until the pin has been positively withdrawn to release the same.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

A latch for the purpose described having a guide, a bolt mounted in the guide for sliding movement therein, both the guide and the bolt being cross sectionally wedge shaped to retain the bolt in the guide, the bolt being provided with a looped pole handle to serve as a grip, a retaining pin mounted slidably in a transverse opening in the bolt, and a flap actuating spring terminally reception of the end of said retaining pin to secured to the bolt a substantial distance positively hold the bolt in either locking or from the retaining pin and bearing upon unlocking position. ll the latter and having a finger hold for en- In testimony whereof he afiixes his signa- 5 gageinent by the finger of a hand grasping ture.

the handle, the bottom of the guide being formed with a pair of spaced sockets for the WIN FIELD A. GRAYBEAL. 

